How To Be Human

The problem is not that our world lacks religion. The problem is not a lack of piety, or a lack of faith. The problem with our world is that, on a massive cultural scale, we are not acting like human beings. Religion, piety, faith; all these things are the natural – and fantastic – consequence of living as a human, as a man fully alive.

Our modern world is attacking, not religious institution, but humanity. The family existed before the Church. There was marriage before there was the Sacrament of Matrimony. That life should be respected is concept basic throughout history. That man is worth something great, with dignity and infinite value, that he should be happy and fulfilled – you’d be hard pressed to find a time before our own when this was not a building block of society. And yet it is these that are now considered oppressive dogmas.

So there it is. I really do believe that we – as a culture, as a people, and as individuals – need to relearn what it means to be human. I’m not the only one who thinks so, it’s fully-fledged movement, headed – as usual – by the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body tells us who we are, Grassroots films hit the nail on the head with The Human Experience, Chesterton’s been slugging away from the grave…this is my contribution.

So what does it mean to be human? Well I’d tell you, but that wouldn’t get you to come back, now would it? Look for a series of absolutely brillant posts in the next few weeks.